Broward Republicans want one of their own as sheriff

Broward Republicans have a request for Gov. Charlie Crist: Give us one of our own as sheriff.

"It is very important to get Republicans in office in Broward County," said Colleen Stolberg of Fort Lauderdale, a member of the county Republican Executive Committee. "That is why we work our duffs off."

Meanwhile, former Republican Sheriff Nick Navarro, formally asked Crist in documents released Tuesday to return him to the office he held for two terms.

Now president and chief executive of Navarro Security Group Inc., he was known for his tough-talking, flamboyant style as sheriff from 1985 to 1993.

The vacancy occurred early this month, when Sheriff Ken Jenne resigned and pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges. Crist appointed Al Lamberti, a Republican and 29-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, to fill the job temporarily.

As of Tuesday, there were 10 applicants seeking to serve the rest of Jenne's four-year term.

Republicans aren't endorsing any specific party member for the job. But they are concerned that Crist, who has made cooperation with Democrats a hallmark of his governorship, might be too bipartisan when it comes to picking a permanent replacement for Jenne, a Democrat.

The county's Republican Executive Committee issued the call to Crist on a voice vote Monday night at its monthly meeting.

Stolberg, who was an enthusiastic Crist supporter last year, was concerned by talk that he might prefer to appoint a Democrat with whom he's philosophically in sync, since that person presumably would have an easier time winning the 2008 election than a Republican in overwhelmingly Democratic Broward.

She said her purpose was "just to remind Gov. Crist that he is a Republican and his support base is Republican."

Political affiliation isn't Crist's top priority. "The governor will consider all applicants and ultimately will appoint the one he feels is most qualified to serve the people of Broward County," said his deputy press secretary, Thomas Philpot.Party Chairman Chip LaMarca, who was given the job of communicating the party's recommendation to Crist, said he thinks a Republican could win an election as sheriff - "but it would be a challenge."

"For that position, people will look outside the party politics with what they just went through," he said. "BSO deserves better than somebody who's using the position as a placeholder."

Democratic Chairman Mitch Ceasar said a Democrat most likely would win the election next year. "There's no guarantee. But certainly the odds would be more in favor of a Democratic nominee than a Republican nominee conceptually speaking," he said.

Philpot said the governor hasn't established a timetable for candidate interviews or for filling the vacancy.

Navarro, 77, participated in a Hispanics for Crist event before last year's gubernatorial primary. Once one of the most powerful politicians in the county, he lost the Republican primary in 1992, leaving office when his term expired early in 1993. He could not be reached for comment.